The Tears in the Lab
by Aku Okami Knows All
Summary: Zack/Jack. Sort of an Alternate ending to the episode Zack broke out.


Angela shuffled her feet nervously. She reached her hand up, hesitated, and then knocked.

The door opened, and she stepped inside.

"Hey Zack!" Angela waved. Zack was sitting on a couch, holding a book awkwardly in his gloved hands.

Zack nodded, not looking up from his book he said, "I noticed you showed hesitation opening the door, suggesting second thoughts about visiting me."

Angela blinked, "Wuh…?"

"I've been reading about physiology lately, I'm trying to understand human's morale and emotional thinking better." Zack explained, looking up from his book.

"Oh," she mumbled, besetting herself beside him. "Well…don't. That's for humans. Key word here is human."

Zack's eyes returned to his book. "What's the reason behind you coming here, Angela?"

She let out a sigh. "That's what friends are for Zack. Being there for you, even while in the…err…"

"Looney Bin?" Suggested Zack.

"Uh, well right. Besides, the labs a freaking war zone! I swear Cam was breathing fire on us."

"That isn't physically possible," He mumbled, eyes still not leaving his book.

"For Cam it is. Booth and she got in this HUGE fight, and the intern is just driving us CRAZY! She never stops TALKING!"

"It's also physically impossible to never stop talking. Why'd Cam and Booth fight?"

Angela sighed again. "It's just really stressful, we need help on this case but it's just…Brennan's so distracted and Booth's being impatient. Hodgins is just…grumpy. Plus Sweets is annoying Cam with him trying to use his physiology on her."

"Flowers. What's the purpose of giving flowers?" Zack suddenly questioned.

Angela answered, "Uh…it shows affection? Uhm, Zack where'd that come from?"

"I don't see purpose in giving flowers. Flowers are hardly useful. What about balloons, what's the purpose of balloons?"

"Balloons are big, floaty and shiny…Zack what is this about?" She asked suspiciously.

"So in your best unprofessional guesswork, what is your opinion of the use of emotions such as love?" He pressed on.

Angela face palmed. "Only God and the Easter Bunny know that sweetie."

"The Easter Bunny is a relevant source of human emotion? Why?" Zack continued to ask questions.

Angela looked about ready to explode. "Sweetie, what on Earth, or Mars, or Jupiter, or wherever the hell you're from is this about?" Angela asked. She sighed and decided not to take him so seriously.

"Your not falling for me, are you?" She playful nudged him in the arm. "Because you know I'm with R-"

"No, Hodgins." Zack corrected, placing his book on a coffee table beside them

Angela looked at him, puzzled. "What? No I'm dating Roxie. Hodgins and I-"

Zack shook his head. "No, I meant I think I'm having emotions for Hodgins."

Angela made a squeaking noise and slowly slid off the couch and onto the floor. Her eyes, twitching.

"Is that unusual?" Zack asked.

"No, no sweetie. You know what? I got to go… go do stuff. Work stuff. Stuff stuff. Lots of stuff." Angela pulled something out of her pocket. "Yeah that's my cell phone now. Cam's texting me. Bye sweetie."

Angela walked to the door way, waved at Zack one final time, then closed it and walked out.

Zack blinked at confusion in her. 'That wasn't her cell phone. That was a small portable music playing device. Commonly known as an Ipod.'

Angela ran up to everyone at the lab, waving her arms frantically. "Guys! Guys! Guys!"

"Where is my STAPLER?" Cam hissed.

"Why would I know?" Bones asked defensively.

"She has her OWN stapler Cam, stop attacking the innocent" nagged Booth.

"Shut up you guys, I found particulates!" Hodgins yelled.

Angela looked back and forth frantically, for some one who wasn't busy, or dead on a table. She noticed Sweets walking by.

"Sweets! Sweets!" She called, chasing after him. "Yes Angela?" He asked. Angela paused for a moment, catching her breathe. "Zack's gay for Hodgins!" She finally squealed.

Sweets eyes widened. "Angela, I know your lacking attention in this case because identities were obvious, but I think this is a cry for attention. This obviously is some post-trauma from-"

Angela shook her head. "No. What? No. Okay I know what I saw. Heard. I heard. Because Zack asked about balloons and I said only Easter Bunnies know about love, oh, and God of course. So Zack started admitting feelings so I told him I was with Roxie. You know Roxie, right? Okay so anyway he said; ? Andisaidnosweetieitsnot. But it is weird. Not being gay. But Zack. Zack's weird. So ZackisgayforHodgins!"

Sweets just blinked at her. "Angela, are you feeling okay? Have you been eating enough lately? Because if it's a problem we can make weekly appointments. I mean, I am a shrink."

Angela stomped her foot. "YOU'RE ALL CLOSED-MINDED SCIENTIST! I AM AN ARTIST! I SAW! I HEARD! I'M AN ARTIST! I SAW WHAT I HEARD!" She screamed, storming back to her office and slamming the door shut.

"Whoooowheeee, what was that about?" Asked the annoying intern.

"Nothing. What particulates Hodgins?" Cam asked.

"Dust. That's right. A whole bunch of dust. Isn't that useful? DUST!" Hodgins grumbled.

"No that's not useful, why would it be useful?" Asked Bones.

"What is the purpose of being sarcastic here Hodgins?" Cam growled.

"Admit it. We need more help! We're the best team in the WORLD, or, used to be. But we've bitten off more than we can chew! Plus this intern is so not helpful." Hodgins complained

"What?" Questioned the intern.

Booth angrily grabbed his phone and stomped out of the lab. "YOU PEOPLE!" He yelled.

"Is he angry?" asked Bones.

Booth laughed sarcastically. "No! I'm not! Why on earth would I be angry?" He called.

"You SOUND angry." mumbled Bones.

Cam sighed and plopped herself down on a chair. "My god people." She mumbled, shaking her head.

"Who do you think he called?" Bones wondered aloud.

"It doesn't matter, what matters is I need to sift through useless particles to look for more CRAP which will probably be dust, and have no use!" Hodgins growled again, storming off too.

The team was busy at work for about two hours and forty five minutes, when Cam, who was trying to remember where her stapler was the whole time, finally recalled something. Cam walked up to Hodgins.

"HODGINS! I lent my stapler to you and Zack when you wanted to try to confirm if the victim from the elevator case was really killed by a stapler!" Cam called "Where is it?"

"Oh riiiight….It's in Zack's office. I'll go get it." Said Hodgins, remembering too.

Hodgins sighed, frustrated with being able to find so little about the victims whereabouts before he died. He opened Zack's office door and nearly had a heart attack. Zack was sitting in his chair, awkwardly holding a case file in his still gloved hands.

"Hello, Hodgins" he mumbled, not looking up from the file.

"Zack what the…WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE?"

"Booth requested my presence, he needed assistance. His exact words were: 'Oh I don't know, break out of the mental ward and sneak into the lab and work on the case?'" Zack calmly explained.

"He was being sarcastic! What the HELL Zack?" Hodgins yelled again, beginning to hyperventilate.

"Are you okay?" Zack asked, putting down the file on his desk.

"No why would I be okay? This is the SECOND time you broke out of the mental ward Zack! Stop taking people, especially Booth so seriously!"

"I apologize. I found the cause of death so I just thought…I'd be useful…." Zack mumbled.

"You found the-? That's great man! What was it?" Hodgins said, suddenly distracted from the fact his best friend broke out of the mental ward, after the court assigned to stay there for killing a man for a cannibal.

"The victim was asleep, when a wire was inched through their window, wrapped around their throat, pulled tight, and caused an impact deep enough so they bled to death." He explained. Hodgins patted him on the shoulder with an open hand.

Zack nodded. Suddenly a questioned entered Zack's mind. "Were you against seeing me? Your reaction suggests so. Plus Angela seemed reluctant to visit me…"

Hodgins remembered why he was mad. "What? No Zack. It's not I didn't want to see you…you just scared the crap out of me, that's all. You know, seeing as you broke out of the mental ward and all. And maybe Angela was reluctant to seeing you because you're insane and killed a man? And have no value for human life?"

Zack was taken aback by Hodgins cold and sarcastic reply, but he held his ground.

"I'm not insane." He growled through clenched teeth

Hodgins scoffed. "Oh no, your not insane Zack. No, it's perfectly normal to blow up your hands for some insane cannibal? Or as you call him 'The Master'?" He forcefully snatched onto Zack's right gloved hand. Zack gave out a whimper of pain.

Zack's lip quivered. "I didn't blow my hands off for HIM…" he hissed.

"Oh really?" Hodgins pressed on in a suspicious tone.

"No, that wasn't supposed to happen!" Zack insisted.

"Oh? So you admit your wonderful logic, had an error? The famous and wonderful Zack Addy making a mistake? Maybe something BIGGER then getting himself locked up for some guy he never met? Killing for some guy he never even knew?"

Hodgins became completely enraged. Things he was pissed about for months were starting surface. All the pent-up-emotion about his best friend being a killer was turning into rage.

"Hodgins, I-"Zack began.

Hodgins hardly remembered what he was yelling about, but it was too late. He couldn't stop.

"SO WHAT ZACK! WHAT WAS THIS MISTAKE YOU MADE! BESIDES THROWNING AWAY YOUR LIFE?"

"The explosion wasn't supposed to cause such injuries. I was merely trying to create a small diversion. No harm was supposed to come to me. But when I asked you to hand me the mix, you stopped. You didn't walk off; you stayed and argued with me. It caused the mix to strengthen, I knew it would. But… I couldn't…I-I…I couldn't set off the explosion then. I waited until you were at a safe distance. I knew I'd loose my hands, but I knew you wouldn't loose your life." He tried to explain through clenched teeth while chocking back tears.

Hodgins looked up at Zack.

"What?" He whispered.

Zack was feebly trying to wipe off his tears with his shaking left hand.

"I love you, Hodgins" He whimpered.

Hodgins felt Zack's hand that he was still holding onto, shaking. He pulled Zack closer to him, and put ruffled his free hand through Zack's hair.

He leaned over and whispered in his ear; "Guess what. Me too." Hodgins leaned his head even closer and kissed Zack.

Zack's eyes widened in shock. He began to blush furiously.

Hodgins had remembered bells had rung once, when he kissed Angela. Well screw bells, these were fireworks.

Cam remembered her stapler, and barged into Zack's office. "How long should it take just to find one staple- WOAH?"

Bones and Booth walked in after Cam. "So it only means the killer could have had access to- What's the matter Cam?" Booth asked.

Booth followed where Cam's eyes were staring, to Hodgins and Zack, with their arms wrapped around each other, kissing.

Bones saw too, and accidently spit out her mouthful of coffee onto Booth.


End file.
